Blackhawks trade Petr Mrazek, Craig Smith to Red Wings for Joe Veleno

Petr Mrazek is on his way back to the Motor City.

The veteran goaltender has been traded from the Chicago Blackhawks, along with centre Craig Smith, to Detroit in exchange for centre Joe Veleno, the Red Wings announced Friday ahead of the trade deadline.

The Red Wings selected Mrazek in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft and he spent the first six years of his career in Detroit, growing into a full-time starter with the team.

This season he has a .890 save percentage and a 10-19-2 record for the basement-dwelling Blackhawks. He became expendable in Chicago after the addition of Spencer Knight, but joins an equally crowded crease in Detroit that also features Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon, Jack Campbell and top prospect Sebastian Cossa.

Mrazek, 33, is signed through next season with a $4.25-million cap hit.

Smith, 35, helps the Red Wings replenish some depth after winger Christian Fischer was lost to Columbus on waivers and top prospect Carter Mazur was injured in his NHL debut on Thursday night.

Veleno, 25, gets a fresh start in Chicago after never living up to his pedigree in junior. He was the first QMJHL player granted exceptional status before being a first-round pick by the Red Wings in 2018. A two-way centre, he hasn’t ever broken through offensively in the NHL — scoring a career-high 28 points last season — but will get a larger opportunity with the rebuilding Blackhawks.